Railway signal torpedo



Feb. 2, 1932. F. DUTCHER RAILWAY SIGNAL TOHPEDO Filed May 8, 1931 Inwentor @ham/C 8g 1 0mm, flwm attorneys.

ixatented Feb, '2, 1932 Y imimn cum; or noernns, 01110 PATENT nnrnwhy SIGNAL TORPEDO Application fil ed May 8 This invention relates tofc ertain improvements in railway. signal torpedoes and it has certain objects in View which will'be set forth hereinafter.

' As is Well known to those skilled in this art railway signal torpedoes are attached to the head of railroad rails to. be'elxploded by the passing wheel of a locomotive". 1 The presentinvention relates to the follow' ing improvements whereby" a torpedo ispro- 'duced Whichis cheap to produce and is simple in construction; 1 i

' Incarrying out theppres'ent invention the explosive compound is preferably in tablet forn'randiit is enclosed in a casing that is wrapped therearoui'id having extended ends, and applying 'tothis'explosive compound a plate that is located' between the extended ends and the body portion ofthetorpedo and to place sai'd'ends under a constant closing pressure whereby the casing is made Waterproof without the use of cement; r

The records of the patents granted on railway signal torpedoes establish that I I" have been engaged in 'thefmanufaoture of them for a great many'y'ears and so far "as I am awarefheretoforc torpedoes of thetype herein described have not had theeXtended ends of thecase united to-the'torped-o by means of a-plate applied thereto, in the manner hereinafter described.

Mypresent-improvement is to use the plate as means around which these extended ends are tightly wrapped and placed under closing tension thereby keeping moisture and water from contact with the explosive contained ment is to place the extended ends of the explosive containing case between the unyielding surface of a plate applied to the under- .side of thetorpedocase and in utilizing the 1931. Serial No. 536,057.

member, which I 'pcdoes.

/ In'tho accompanying drawings: i

Figure 1 is a, perspective view'of a torpedo embodying my present improvement.

F ig; 2 is an inverted perspective view of Figure 1. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken centrally through the torpedo.

Fig. 4. is aside View showing the spring mcmbermade, in two parts. Fig. 5 is a side view of the assembled torpedo. I .In carrying out my present improvement I utilize an explosive tabletl that is Wrapped in a casing 2 with the ends 8 of the wrapped casing extended. These extended ends are substantially about half as long as the width of the casing. the casing 2 is a'plate 4 and the ends 3 are tightly Wrapped around this plate and are held. in this tightly Wrapped position .by means of a spring clip 5 that also serves to believe tobe-new in torunite the torpedo to the head ofarailro'ad rail. The wrapping tightly-of these ends 3 around the plate l serves to put a closing tension onthese ends at the points Where they are doubled around the plate, and the holding clip member 5 also serves to puta closing tension on the ends 3 that lie between the spring member 5 and the said plate. Prefer} .ably the spring member 5 is united to the ends 6 of the said plate by meansof suitable rivets 7.-

The spring member 5 is shaped substantially like the spring holding member in my application Serial No. 536,056 filed May 8,1931, and hence any special description of this member is unnecessary in connection with this present improvement.- The ends 8 may be made in the form here shown and these ends 8 may interlock with a raised portion 9 of theholding member 5 or may-interlock with the ends 10 igure 4) as may be preferred- The object of having these endsinterlock as here shown is to economize space in shipping torpedoes provided With spring members that unite the torpedo tothehead of p a railroad rail. This closing and holding fea- Applied to the under side of OF-FICEKQ unyielding closing tension of a spring holding ture is no part ofthe present invention since that is described in my above referred to shoulders 12 which abut against'the-ends of c against thesaid plate.

the casing. Thi's's'erves to prevent any endwise movement of the casing in respect tothe 1' 1 closing tension substant ally as set forth;

plate.

around the plate. and having th'emetal rail f engaging member clamping the i said v- :endS

, Th's torpedo has the advantages that are defined in my 1 above referred .to pending ap l' t' f t1 metal 'stri as that the p lea Ion so M as 16 '1 t1al'ly as set forth. '5.

holding member 'consists'of is concerned and so far as the saving in space and in freight is concerned e I Railway signal torpedoes it" is'wellknown ihavejto'meet severe conditions, that is they V have to stand severe weather in use and'they property are at stake.

must always be reliable because live'sf'and' Therefore any-im: 'p'r'ovement' that adds certainty to a'railway c torpedo is considered of major importance. Railway signal torpedoes are manufactured and sold at a price approximately two cents each and thereforethe cost of production is important.

I It will" be observed that the extended ends 7 3 are placed under a closingtension between a nonyielding plate'4 and a nonyielding clip member?) for holding the torpedo 011 the head ofa railroad railf I I r The casing '2 consists-of. course of waterproofed material as heretofore, but heretofore it ha's'been necessary to utilize cement to expense which Ido bysubjecting these-extended ends to the double closing pressure herein referred to and the cost. is reduced bei So far as I am aware heretofore the endsB of casings have not'been clamped between a tended ends of the case; 1

1. An improved torpedo consisting of an explosivewrapped 1n acasing having-extended ends a plate applied directly to the and, ;attaching to-the said plate, a rail engaged member extending longitudinally of the said ends and placing on thema second 2. A torpedo comprising an explosive packed in a 'water-proo'fed' wrapper having Lends extending beyond the edges of the torpedo, ap'late applied directly to the bottom" of the saidcasingsaid ends wrapped around the plate with their extremities lying outside of said plate,-said plate having its ends ex ing tensionon the said; casing ends, substantending beyondsaid casing and'a railiengag 1' ing' member attached to the extending'ends p of. the plate, said plate exerting a second clos- 3. YA torpedocomprising an explosive Wrapped in aisheet' and whenfwrapped having extended ends, a plate applied dir'ectly to the bottom-of the said torpedo, saidplate being cutout a distance substantially the length of the saidjtorpedotthe extended ends being doubled'around in said cutout portion, the said plate and a rail engaging member connected with the said plate and exerting a second closing action on-the saidextended ends, substantially as. set forth; r r

an torpedo comprising an explosive compound wrapped in a caslng having extended -ends,"a plate applied: directly to the underside oflsaid casing, said plate; having a non yielding outer surface said plate provided with extended ends and a clip attached to said: extended sends and {applied to the outer sides of said: extended ends,;,said-clip having a non-yielding inner surface whereby a closingtension is exerted on said ex- 1 .In testimony whereof I hereunto s cause of theme of a metal for the torpedo holding device that does not require to be forme PP and afterwards tempered etc; and making Ya-construction thatlis siniple to -produce'fand that is simple to assemble by not requiring anyspecial machinery-to ac- V complis'h either pur-pose.

The-present invention has been particularly described but I- wish it understood that it 7 maybe varied in certain'r'espects without "de- I parting from the spiri'tjand: scopeof theinvent on solongias those'changes come with; 1

in a liberal interpretation of the appended claims.

Having thus describedmy invention what Ivclaimanddesire to secureby-Letters Pat-f I i ins 

